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Page 64
37. Enough of this wretched life and murmuring and apish tricks. Why art
thou disturbed? What is there new in this? What unsettles thee? Is it
the form of the thing? Look at it. Or is it the matter? Look at it. But
besides these there is nothing. Towards the gods then, now become at
last more simple and better. It is the same whether we examine these
things for a hundred years or three.
38. If a man has done wrong the harm is his own. But perhaps he has not
done wrong.
39. Either all things proceed from one intelligent source and come
together as in one body, and the part ought not to find fault with what
is done for the benefit of the whole; or there are only atoms, and
nothing else than mixture and dispersion. Why, then, art thou disturbed?
Say to the ruling faculty, Art thou dead, art thou corrupted, art thou
playing the hypocrite, art thou become a beast, dost thou herd and feed
with the rest?[A]
[A] There is some corruption at the end of this section, but I
think that the translation expresses the emperor's meaning.
Whether intelligence rules all things or chance rules, a man
must not be disturbed. He must use the power that he has and be
tranquil.
40. Either the gods have no power or they have power. If, then, they
have no power, why dost thou pray to them? But if they have power, why
dost thou not pray for them to give thee the faculty of not fearing any
of the things which thou fearest, or of not desiring any of the things
which thou desirest, or not being pained at anything, rather than pray
that any of these things should not happen or happen? for certainly if
they can co-operate with men, they can co-operate for these purposes.
But perhaps thou wilt say the gods have placed them in thy power. Well,
then, is it not better to use what is in thy power like a free man than
to desire in a slavish and abject way what is not in thy power? And who
has told thee that the gods do not aid us, even in the things which are
in our power? Begin, then, to pray for such things, and thou wilt see.
One man prays thus: How shall I be able to lie with that woman? Do thou
pray thus: How shall I not desire to lie with her? Another prays thus:
How shall I be released from this? Pray thou: How shall I not desire to
be released? Another thus: How shall I not lose my little son? Thou
thus: How shall I not be afraid to lose him? In fine, turn thy prayers
this way, and see what comes.
41. Epicurus says, In my sickness my conversation was not about my
bodily sufferings, nor, says he, did I talk on such subjects to those
who visited me; but I continued to discourse on the nature of things as
before, keeping to this main point, how the mind, while participating in
such movements as go on in the poor flesh, shall be free from
perturbations and maintain its proper good. Nor did I, he says, give the
physicians an opportunity of putting on solemn looks, as if they were
doing something great, but my life went on well and happily. Do, then,
the same that he did both in sickness, if thou art sick, and in any
other circumstances; for never to desert philosophy in any events that
may befall us, nor to hold trifling talks either with an ignorant man or
with one unacquainted with nature, is a principle of all schools of
philosophy; but to be intent only on that which thou art now doing and
on the instrument by which thou doest it.
42. When thou art offended with any man's shameless conduct, immediately
ask thyself, Is it possible, then, that shameless men should not be in
the world? It is not possible. Do not, then, require what is impossible.
For this man also is one of those shameless men who must of necessity be
in the world. Let the same considerations be present to thy mind in the
case of the knave, and the faithless man, and of every man who does
wrong in any way. For at the same time that thou dost remind thyself
that it is impossible that such kind of men should not exist, thou wilt
become more kindly disposed towards every one individually. It is useful
to perceive this, too, immediately when the occasion arises, what virtue
nature has given to man to oppose to every wrongful act. For she has
given to man, as an antidote against the stupid man, mildness, and
against another kind of man some other power. And in all cases it is
possible for thee to correct by teaching the man who is gone astray; for
every man who errs misses his object and is gone astray. Besides,
wherein hast thou been injured? For thou wilt find that no one among
those against whom thou art irritated has done anything by which thy
mind could be made worse; but that which is evil to thee and harmful has
its foundation only in the mind. And what harm is done or what is there
strange, if the man who has not been instructed does the acts of an
uninstructed man? Consider whether thou shouldst not rather blame
thyself, because thou didst not expect such a man to err in such a way.
For thou hadst means given thee by thy reason to suppose that it was
likely that he would commit this error, and yet thou hast forgotten and
art amazed that he has erred. But most of all when thou blamest a man as
faithless or ungrateful, turn to thyself. For the fault is manifestly
thy own, whether thou didst trust that a man who had such a disposition
would keep his promise, or when conferring thy kindness thou didst not
confer it absolutely, nor yet in such way as to have received from thy
very act all the profit. For what more dost thou want when thou hast
done a man a service? art thou not content that thou hast done something
conformable to thy nature, and dost thou seek to be paid for it? just as
if the eye demanded a recompense for seeing, or the feet for walking.
For as these members are formed for a particular purpose, and by working
according to their several constitutions obtain what is their own;[A] so
also as man is formed by nature to acts of benevolence, when he has done
anything benevolent or in any other way conducive to the common
interest, he has acted conformably to his constitution, and he gets what
is his own.
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